Volume measuring means for skip loading



Feb. 4, 1947.

A. J. WHITCOMB VOLUME MEASURING MEANS FOR SKIP LOADING Filed June 30, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Arihur' J. whilcomb 4 m vi ,7

Feb. 4, 1947. A. J. WHITCOMB 9 VOLUME MEASURING MEANS FOR SKIP LOADING Filed June 30, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 4, 1947 vommm MEASURING MEANS son sm I Loapmo Arthllll' r. Whitcomb, Chicago, m, afssigncr to Freyn Engineering Company, Chicago, Ill., a. corporation of Maine Application Junedil, 1945, Serial No. 602,459

as are used in connection with blast furnaces. It is common practice to provide a ship riding upon an inclined track, said ship traveling between a ship pit and an overhead storage bin.

The lower limit of movement of the ship is determined under usual circumstances by a limit switch and a brake controlling the motor which 1 operates the ship. Due to stretch of the cable or variations in the brake, the lower limit of movementof the ship may vary through several inches. The present invention provides mechanism for measuring the volume of material within a skip regardless of variations, within limits, of the positlon of the ship atit's lower limit of movement.

The present invention involves the use of electrode means adapted to be contacted by the material loaded in the ship. For this reason the present invention is particularly applicable to the measurement of materials which are conductors of electricity.

An object or the present invention is to provide improved volume measuring means adapted for measuring the volume of electrically conductive material disposed within a skip.

A. further object is to provide volume measuring means of the hind just referred to which is omrable regardless oi variations, within limits, of the position of the ship.

it, further object is to provide Volume measuring means applicable to a ship of a skip hoist mechanism, which measuring means involves electrode means movable in response to move-.

ments of a delivery chute, which in turn is positioned in. response to the position of the skip.

A further object is to provide volume measuring means well adapted to meet the needs of commercial service.

her obiects will appear as the description proceeds.

Referring to the drawings Figure l is a view in sectional elevation illustrating one embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a view taken along the planes indicated by the arrows 2--i of Figure l.

The numeral it indicates a skip having wheels i i--l i engaging the inclined traclr it. That ship is illustrated in material receiving position in the ship pit. The skip it is connected through a boil or the like (not illustrated) to the cable it which passes over a sheave it. The numeral it indi- 4 Claims. (Cl. 2149-125) 2 cates a hoist including the driving drum it, which may be operated through power transmitting mechanism (not illustrated) by the motor ii. A limit switch It may be connected to the drum it for determining the position at which the motor shall stop at the two limits of its operation.

shown in Figure l, the skip it] has a lon side wall l9 adjacent to the track it and a shorter side wall 20 spaced from said track it. Disposed adjacent to the short side wall iii are a pair oi brackets 2i--il, said brackets being located at that two opposite sides of the skip It, that is-on the near side and the far side as the parts are viewed in Figure 1. Each of said brackets 2 i-ti at its outer extremity is provided with a guide wheel 22. It may be explained at this point that the bracket 2! is not illustrated in the left-hand side of Figure 2, the illustration being omitted to clarify the illustration of members to be described presently with which the guide wheels 22-22 cooperate.

The numeral 23 indicates a. bin having an opening in the bottom thereof for the delivery oi ma== terial to'the chute it. Extending transversely of the chute it is theshaft 25. Said shaft 25 is rotatable and serves as a mounting means fora rotatable extension chute 26, said rotatable extension chute it being counterwelshted by the lever 21 carrying the counterweight it. The chute 24 has the-slanting bottom wall 29 and the extension chute 26 has the wall 36 adapted to be positioned in approximate alignment with the wall 29. Said extension chute 26 is provided with the two side walls ill-8I, which, together with the bottom wall 38, provide guide means for material delivered from the chute 24. Said extenslon chute is adapted to direct material into the skip l0 when said ship is in position for receiving v material. Said extension chute 26 includes the shut-oft gate 32, which is of arcuate form to conform to similarly shaped ends 33 of the side walls of the chute 2t. Said extension 2b is adapted to be swung about the axis of the shaft 25 into the position indicated in broken lines in Figure l.

The skip i 0 in its movements up and down the track I! is adapted to swing the extension chute 26 up to its dotted line position when said skip is moved upwardly and to swing the extension chute downwardly when the skip I0 is moved downwardly. For this purpose the extension chute 2t, exteriorly of the two side walls 3 |-3 I, is provided with a pair of sets of guide members, one of which is illustrated in Figure 1 and indicated as a whole by the numeral it. Each set of guide members 34 is made up of an angle iron 35 (secured exte= riorly of the corresponding side wall 3|) and the 1 wheel 22 are illustrated at the left side' of the l tacted at their lower extremities by electric concontrolling the electriomotor l1 and other mechthe bottom wall 30 or the extension chute 26, and

an upturned portion 38. The leaf spring 33 is made up of a plurality of laminations, the uppermost one being turned downwardly at its outer extremity, whereby to provide a vflared opening for receiving the wheel 22 carried by the corresponding bracket 2| secured to the skip Ill. The leaf spring 36 is secured to the chute 24 by means of the bracket 39.

Referring to Figure 2, a leaf spring 36, its mounting bracket 39 and the associated guide figure, but the showing of the corresponding angle iron 35 and guide wheel bracket 2| is omitted. At the right side of Figure 2 a wheel bracket 2|, the corresponding guide wheel 22 and the angle iron 35 are illustrated, but the leaf spring 33 and its mounting bracket 39 are omitted for the purpose of avoidinga' multiplicity of broken lines.

Carried by the side walls 3l-3l oi the extension chute 26 are a pair 01 brackets 40-40 carrying a, pair of electrodes tl-Jl. The mountin means for each of said electrodes includes a clamp 42 adapted to hold an insulating tube-43 which encloses a rod 44 adapted to be adiustably positioned in the tube 43 by means of clamps 45-45. Each of said rods 44 is adapted to hold an electrode 41 at its; lower extremity and to have an electric wire secured to its upper extremity. Said electrodes 4I--A4l are electrically insulated from their supports and are adapted to be conductive material, indicated by the numeral 46, within the skip l0. In-other words, material of a nature such that it will conduct electricity will complete a circuit across the lower terminals of the electrodes 4'l--4l when said material reaches a predetermined level. The position of the electrodes 4l4l with respect to the skip III is determined by the positioning of leai' spring 36 upon the top of the short wall 20 of the skip ID. If preferred, some other engaging means may be employed whereby the swinging movement of the chute extension 25 is stopped in definite relationship with the skip Ill, whereby the position of the electrodes 4i--4l is definitely determined with respect to the skip l0 regardless oi variations within limits of the position of said skip.

The electrodes 4l-4l will be connected to control circuits which need not be illustrated herein. Patent No. 1,946,120, granted February 6, 1934, to the present applicant, fully discloses electrical control mechanism which may be employed in response to the electrodes 4I-4l for anism in operating the skip Ill.

The mode of operation of the above described embodiment of the present invention need not be described in detail inasmuch as it will be clear from the foregoing description of the instrumentalities involved therein. It may be explained briefly that when the skip I0 is raised from its lowermost position the guide wheel 22 on each side of said skip will engage its corresponding angle iron 35 to swing the chute extension 26 about the axis of the shaft 25 to the position indicated in broken lines in Figure 1. At this time the shut-oi! gate 32 will stop the flow of material down the chute 24. Whenthe skip Ill is again moved to its lowermost position, that is- 75 4 to the position illustrated in Figure 1, the roller 22 on each side of the skip it will ensase the uppermost lamination oi the leaf spring 33 and will swing the extension chute 26 toward the position shown in full lines in Figure 1. This movement will move the shut-oil gate 32 out oi obstructing relationship with the chute 24 and material will be delivered from said chute 24 through the extension chute 28 into the skip I3. When the material 42 reaches a position to complete a circuit across the electrodes 4I-4l, the

motor 11 v wlll be energized to cause said motor H to lift the skipv l0, moving the shut-oi! gate 32 into obstructing relationship with the chute 24 and moving the extension chute 23 to the position shown in'dotted lines in Figure 1.

Though a preferredembodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, many modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. It' is intended to, cover all such modiflcations that fall within the scope of the appended claims. I

.What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a skip adapted to be posltioned in material receiving position with respect skip, said skip and said chute means having cooperating means for definitely locating said chute 5 means with respect to said skip regardless of variations, within limits, in the elevation of said skip, and electrode means carried by said chute means adapted to be electrically connected when material in said skip reaches a predetermined level, said electrode means being adapted to complete a motive circuit for raising said skip.

2. In combination, movable chute means adapted to be positioned to receive a supply of material, said chute means including a gate adapted in one position of said chute means to shut oi! said supply or material, a skip, cooperating guide means upon said chutemeans and said skip for moving said chute means in response to move ment of said skip. said guide means and said skip including cooperating means for definitely locating said guide means relative to said skip regardless of variations, within limits, in the ele-. vation 01' said skip, electrode means carried by said chute means. said electrode means being adapted to be electrically connected when material in said skip reaches a. predetermined level, said electrode means being adapted to complete a motive circuit for raising said skip.

3. In combination, movable chute means adapted to be positioned to' receive a supply of material, said chute means including a gate adapted in one position or said chute means to shut oit said supply of material, a skip, guide means carried by said chute means, guide roller means can'ied by said skip and adapted to cooperate with said guide means for swinging said guide means about a predetermined axis as said skip 5 being adapted to complete a motive circuit for raising said skip.

4. In combination, a main chute,'an extension chute rotatably connected thereto, said extension chute having a shut-oft gate for closing said main chute when said extension chute is in non-delivery position, a skip tub, guide means carried by said extension chute on each side thereof, said skip having a pair of guide rollers adapted to be engaged by said guide means, said extension chute and said skip beingprovided with cooperating members for limiting swinging movement of said extension chute relative to said skip, and a pair of electrodes carried by said extension chute,

said electrodes being responsive to the volume of material in said skip, said skip and said chute means having cooperating means for definitely l 6 locating said chute means relative to said skip regardless of variations, within limits, in the elevation of said skip. said electrode means being adapted to complete a motive circuit for raising said skip.

ARTHUR J. WHITCOMB.

REFERENCES CITED .The following references are of record in the 10 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Young Aug. 12, 1930 

